NELFUND Management has sent an Important message to Students and stakeholders regarding on ongoing ASUU Strike.
Naijaonpoint Media reports that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has assured students and stakeholders that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will not disrupt its loan operations or affect the ongoing student loan verification process.
Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief, on Tuesday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, expressed confidence that the ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU, under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, would yield positive results.
“As you are aware, the strike has only just commenced, and I know that under the excellent leadership of the Honorable Minister for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the negotiations will continue to move forward,” Sawyerr stated.
NELFUND Portal Reopens for Final Verification
Meanwhile, during last weekend, NELFUND announced the final reopening of its student loan application portal to allow institutions yet to complete their student verification to do so.
According to a statement by the Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the portal will remain open from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14.
The Fund explained that the extension was introduced to ensure all eligible students are duly verified as part of the 2024/2025 loan application process.
Strike Won’t Affect Student Loan Disbursement
Mr. Sawyerr assured that the ASUU strike would not affect NELFUND’s operations or the ongoing student loan process.
“Even though the funding NELFUND provides is for students, the rest of the ‘pie,’ if you like, is also being addressed by the excellent leadership of Dr. Tunji Alausa,” he explained. “I don’t think this should be jeopardized at all.”
He further noted that the agency is monitoring developments closely and remains guided by the Ministry of Education on how to proceed.
“We are seeking guidance from the Honorable Minister, who is our leader in this regard,” he said. “As of today, it will not affect upkeep, but the negotiations are ongoing, and we must be responsive to that.”
FG Enforces ‘No Work, No Pay’ as ASUU Digs In
The Federal Government has directed universities to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy against lecturers participating in the two-week warning strike.
In a circular dated October 13, the Minister of Education expressed the government’s displeasure at ASUU’s decision to embark on strike despite ongoing dialogue.
ASUU, however, has dismissed the directive, insisting that the union will not be intimidated. Its Vice President, Chris Piwuna, said all academic bodies, including NAMDA and CONUA, remain united in the action.
“We don’t respond to threats, and nobody can threaten us,” he said.